He's had learned conversations with a whole range of famous politicians so why shouldn't Ali G be called upon to help Britain out of a political crisis?

He's had learned conversations with a whole range of famous politicians so why shouldn't Ali G be called upon to help Britain out of a political crisis?

Tony Benn, Sir Rhodes Boyson and even the US Secretary of State General Alexander Haig have all spent time in the company of the hip-hopping white gangsta-rapper.

The fact that he asked Haig if it would be a good time to "nuke Russia, while it's weak" should not necessarily bar him from taking on the troubles of the nation and solving them in his own very special way.

Which is why we are about to see Ali in his debut movie, ALI G IN DA HOUSE, a comedy in which the most famous member of the West Staines Massive is called upon to deal with a crisis that threatens to strike at the very heart of British life.

"It's a major constitutional and political crisis, innit," explains Ali, alias the actor and performer Sacha Baron Cohen.

"And I'm just delighted to finally get my hands on the levers of power, as a means of solvin' that crisis. Obviously, one of my first acts in government will be to ensure freely available g-strings to all those women, who in my opinion, deserve them including, of course, Me Julie."

Me Julie is Ali G's girlfriend, played in the movie by Kellie Bright, one of several familiar British actors lending their weight to the character's big screen debut.

Also in there are Sir Michael Gambon and Charles Dance. Had he still been alive, Sacha would doubtless have gone for maximum incongruity by inviting Sir John Gielgud to revive the comic touch he showed as the butler in Arthur.

But there's no Sir John and, according to waspish, movie insiders, not necessarily as many laughs in Ali G In Da House as studio bosses would have liked. Test screenings, go the rumours, didn't generate the torrent of belly laughs that had been hoped for.

Only time will tell whether Ali G transfers successfully from the confines of TV to the big screen but, if it does, it won't be due to a great deal of media soul-baring by the film's star.

Sacha Baron Cohen is famously unwilling to do interviews as himself. Only as Ali G will he now be quoted.

He isn't the first comedy star to hide behind the guise of a character. Steve Coogan did so when he was promoting the short-lived career of alter ego Latino singer Tony Ferrino. But, before and after that time, Coogan took away the mask and was himself.

Barry Humphries has given many an interview as Dame Edna Everage but has also been himself, especially when talking about the perils of alcohol, of which he was once overly-fond.

Which means Sacha is a pretty unusual fellow. He gave a few interviews as himself in his younger days, but none since his most famous creation was successfully nurtured on Channel 4.

Some rather wished he had come out of character and behaved more like the well-spoken, Cambridge-educated history graduate that he actually is, when appearing on the Radio One breakfast show a few weeks ago.

His expletive-filled appearance caused a storm - some MPs even called for people to boycott the Ali G movie, in protest.

Cynics suggest that Sacha, the 30-year-old son of a London accountant from Golders Green and Israeli-born mother, knew exactly what he was doing.

That the kind of banner headlines he attracted were just what he wanted to boost sales of the record he had released with Shaggy and generate public interest in his debut film.

There's no doubt Sacha is a shrewd operator, with control of a thriving business empire.

A glance at one of the websites devoted to Ali G reveals that all manner of Ali-related gifts are available, from videos to replicas of his famous shades.

There's also no doubt that Sacha is considered a smart cookie by others in showbusiness.

"What was really clever, about the way Sacha developed Ali, was to give him breadth and depth," says fellow funnyman Paul Kaye, the creator of that other famous spoof interviewer Dennis Pennis.

"I had some success with Dennis but what I never did with him - but what I should have done with him - was give the character some background.

"Dennis effectively became a one-trick pony, a man who could interview in an irreverent way, but not do much else.

"Fairly early on, Sacha introduced Me Julie and The Staines Massive and thereby became more than just a one-dimensional comedy character.

"Had he not developed Ali G in the way that he has done, there almost certainly wouldn't have been the potential for a movie.

"Sacha showed tremendous foresight - and he may well be about to reap the benefits."